Tom Furse

London

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?Either Paul McCartney or The Rolling Stones. I feel like I’ve seen so many fantastic bands over the years, but these guys earned their place for a reason.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history? I think I would have quite liked to have been in Kraftwerk for a bit, just to experience making and performing that music live... it has really stood the test of time, and its influence is to be heard every time you turn on a radio. A less obvious band would be Stereolab - I would have loved to have been a part of that. At its rawest, the music would have been very fun to play and at its most sophisticated extremely beautiful to hear.

Which Subcultures have influenced you? Psychedelic garage rock was the first subculture to suck me in. It seduced me with drugs and strange records made by bands no-one had ever heard of. I became disillusioned with identifying with subcultures though. It seemed to me that music was my main focus and that music continually transcended any attempt to put it in a box and contain it within one culture. It was ever shifting, finding it’s way into places it shouldn’t and causing disruption and rebellion. This created new subcultures and a cycle continues. However, if you consciously step outside of that, as a creative you can see a broader rainbow from which to pick your inspirations.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history? Oh god, there’s so many. I guess I want the person I’d have the best conversation with. Nikola Tesla perhaps?

Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite? I have a soft spot for MOTH Club but you can’t really beat playing Brixton Academy to a full house. Arenas are shit for rock and roll unless you play mid-tempo arena rock, there’s too much reverb in the room.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music? I feel like the internet has pretty much given everyone their time in the spotlight. No-one of any serious significance is anything more than a few clicks away, and even the most obscure middle eastern funk is to be found on most streaming platforms. Hell, most of the forgotten heroes have Netflix documentaries made about them or expansive double vinyl reissue releases. The real unsung heroes are the people who facilitate the music making - the producers, the engineers, the instrument developers, the writers, the guys who still know how to fix an old mixing desk, etc. Then there’s the management, labels, the PR, the supporters and believers who are still there when things aren’t going to plan. Without these people the musical ecosystem as we know it would not exist. Some people may delight in this idea but releasing and pushing a record is HARD F*CKING WORK. These people are rarely the subject of any songs of heroism.

To celebrate the opening of our new Coal Drops Yard shop, we've teamed up with indie trailblazers Crack Magazine to create ‘Departures’ – a zine and online series featuring five creatives and the journeys that have shaped them.